EJIASIAN SETS SIGHTS ON NEW HEIGHTS AFTER WORLD RECORD
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
Nigeria’s teenage hurdler Jared Ejiasian says he is already turning his focus to further improvement despite a historic performance at the French Championships in Val-de-Reuil, where he set a new world U-18 best in the 60m hurdles, The Media reports.
The 16-year-old clocked 7.43 seconds in Saturday’s final, breaking the previous global U-18 mark of 7.48 seconds set by Sasha Zhoya in 2019.
Speaking to the French Athletics Federation on Sunday ahead of his long jump event, Ejiasian admitted the scale of his achievement had yet to fully sink in, as his attention shifted to the next discipline. He stressed his focus was on staying competitive across events rather than dwelling on the record.
“Yesterday, I did not really realise what I had achieved. I kept telling myself, ‘Tomorrow there is the long jump, I must not go out of the competition.’ I think in a few days it will truly sink in, but for now I feel fine,” he said.
Despite setting a new record, Ejiasian acknowledged that his race was not flawless. After reviewing his performance, he noted areas for improvement, particularly his start, emphasizing his commitment to further progress.
“I’ve watched the race again, and I know it can be improved. There’s still a lot to refine, especially at the start. That said, I’m very happy—this reflects all the work I’ve been putting in since the start of the year with my coaches. I’m truly delighted,” he said.
“It was my final 60-metre competition in this age category, so I have no regrets. I accomplished my goals, and that was exactly why I came here.”
Competing for AC Nord Val d’Oise, Ejiasian posted the fastest time of the meeting, though the national title went to Orfeo Chandler, the highest-ranked French athlete in the race.
Ejiasian emphasized the mental discipline required to manage expectations after breaking long-standing records set by celebrated figures in French hurdling.
“The hardest part was keeping a cool head today, and I managed to do that. Knowing that I have broken Sasha’s record and that of Ladji Doucouré is very pleasing, especially as they are icons of French hurdling. Following in their footsteps gives me great satisfaction and suggests a very bright future ahead,” he said.
Born in France to Nigerian parents and residing there since infancy, Ejiasian chose last year to represent Nigeria internationally, a move seen as significant amid concerns over the loss of dual-national talents.
His decision joins a growing list of young athletes committing to Nigeria, including Kelly Ufodiama and Jessica Oji.
Already a French U-18 champion in the 110m hurdles and a silver medallist in the long jump last year, Ejiasian’s new world U-18 record marks the emergence of another promising talent for Nigeria.
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